Syrian-Qatari Holding (SQH), the largest holding company in Syria, has signed an agreement to develop the country’s first world-class medical centre in the capital Damascus.

SQH plans to co-develop the medical city project through its subsidiary, Syrian-Qatari Healthcare, with a group of highly skilled US-based Syrian physicians acting within the framework of the Syrian-American Medical Center (SAMC).

The Medical City, to be built on an area of 10,000 sq.m, will integrate a 200-bed hospital and several specialty medical centers as well as medical offices. The project, which is estimated to be around $112 million, will be completed in three and a half years.

To be located in the West Mazzeh area of the capital, the medical city is within close proximity to the Mazzeh highway, and within easy reach of Damascus center and rural Damascus.

SQH chairman Nasser Hassan Al-Ansari signed the deal with Dr Ammar Hemaidan, general manager of SAMC and Dr Akram Kholoki, vice chairman of the Board of directors of SAMC at a ceremony in Damascus on Monday.

This agreement follows up on a MoU signed by SQH and SAMC in May last year, which had defined the framework to carry out the necessary feasibility studies of the project and to draw the final outlines of the future medical center.

The Hospital component itself will include several centers of excellence including heart, pulmonary disease, and gastroenterology centers, a gynecology / obstetrics / pediatrics unit, as well as oncology, musculoskeletal / orthopedics and Neuropsychiatric centers, as well as general surgery, medicine and ER services supported by a state-of-the-art radiology center.

It will boast of state-of-the-art equipment and will implement the latest technological advancements in patient care. Internationally experienced biomedical engineers, designers and practitioners will be involved in the facilities design and the selection of the medical equipment.

“The Heart Center, for instance, will provide the highest level of skills and expertise to treat a wide variety of cardiovascular diseases, utilizing the most advanced technologies available” said Dr Kholoki, interventional cardiologist.

“The complex will be staffed by well trained medical practitioners, support staff and nurses and will provide outstanding standard of medical treatment and care. That will bring significant benefit to the Syrian population, and will encourage patients from across the Middle East to come to Syria for treatment,” said Hassan Mukayed, chief executive officer of SQH.

“Syrian doctors practicing in the US and Europe are known to be among the best physicians in the world,” he pointed out.

“It will both retain the patients who today travel out of the country for special surgical operations and procedures and encourage Syrian experts who live abroad to come back to Syria and work in a center that aims to become Syrians’ and the region’s first choice for treatment”, said Dr. Ammar Hemaidan.

He said it will be the first Syrian hospital seeking JCI accreditation.

The plans of the medical complex call for a total built-up area of 64,000 sq.m, of which 26,000 sq.m. will be allocated to the 200-bed general hospital facility.

The remaining of the built-up area will host a parking garage and a large office component to house different specialty clinics and other medical related trades and businesses, said a company statement.-TradeArabia News Service